Different Strokes
by Michael Weyer
Summary: IC Phase 1. Slade Wilson comes to Star City to face his biggest challenge: Deathstroke. Arrow/Justice League DCCU crossover.


**Different Strokes**

 **By Michael Weyer**

 **Obviously spoilers for "Infinity Crisis" so helps to read that but a short one that hit me fast. I just figured this was an inevitable story in many ways so had to get it out. All comments welcomed.**

* * *

Once, going out as Green Arrow was a chore for Oliver Queen. Lately, it was a relief.

He knew being mayor was tough but it was crazier in the wake of "The Dusting." Oliver had been forced to put out the story he too had been "dusted" to excuse why he was absent during the crisis. He hated it but he'd learned a long time ago to put up with lies to keep his life going. He did have to handle the insanity of Star City (well, more than usual) recovering from it all and putting things back together. It was settling down but sadly, more than a few folks had taken advantage to move into the area.

"What is it with these guys?" Black Canary called out as she spun her staff around to knock a goon back. She and the team were inside a large warehouse dealing with the large pack of men inside. "Why is Star suddenly the place for gangs to pop up out of nowhere?"

Wild Dog was punching another goon down. "Apartment rates? It is surprisingly affordable."

" _I can attest to that_ ," Felicity said over their comms. " _Seriously, amazing how my place was so cheap."_

Speedy shrugged as she fired off an arrow. "I was rich, never had to worry about that." Arsenal smirked as he fired off his arrow beside her. Nearby, Mr. Terrific tossed one of his spheres to fly out and spark one guy with electricity. Oliver himself dodged a punch and knocked the last goon down.

Things quieted down as the team looked about the warehouse. "Another crack stash taken out," Arsenal said with a smile.

Thea glanced at him. "You're enjoying this way too much."

"Hey, missed it, I admit it," Roy said. "Come on, so did you. Why else did you insist we stay in town longer?" Thea had to not in agreement.

Oliver looked about to take in the illegal drugs, Spartan joining him. "What is it?"

"Just seemed too easy," Arrow replied.

Spartan was already looking around. "Was worried it was just me. We did stumble onto them way too fast."

Oliver nodded. "Overwatch, you get anything?" He paused hearing just static. "Overwatch, you copy?"

A blur of motion came in the corner of his eye and he pushed Spartan back just as a star-shaped object flew through the air past them. Looking up, they saw a figure standing atop the upper balcony, his suit a dark blue and orange with a mask to match. "Slade?" Oliver blurted.

The figure hit a button on his long staff and with a series of loud sparks, the lights in the warehouse went out. In a blur, he was leaping down to attack them, his staff spinning to knock them back. He was a blur in motion as he fought, pulling out a sword to swing at Oliver. He barely ducked it as Spartan raised his gun but Deathstroke sliced it in half before kicking him.

"You son of a…" was all Thea got out before he was grabbing her, plunging something sharp into her shoulder. Thea yelled before Deathstroke pulled the needle out and tossed her right on Roy. His sword knocked against Dinah's staff to push her back and in the same movement kicked Terrific in the face. Oliver was on him fast, throwing punches that Deathstroke easily blocked.

"Be happy killing you isn't in the cards," he muttered, his voice sounding…odd. Oliver tensed before throwing a kick which Deathstroke blocked. In the same instant, he threw the other foot out, catching Slade in the knee. He grunted as Oliver pulled back with the leg to throw him off-balance and pulled Deathstroke into a roll to punch him in the face.

Deathstroke pushed him back as Oliver rolled to his feet, pulling out an arrow. "This isn't the time," Deathstroke muttered before tossing something to the ground. A flash of light erupted to blind everyone. Once it was gone, so was Deathstroke.

"Great," John muttered. "Just what we need, him back on that juice again."

Oliver shook his head. "It's worse than that. Whoever that was…it wasn't Slade."

* * *

John removed his helmet as he followed Oliver into the Lair. "Oliver I'm trying not to be as judgmental but are you sure you're not being blinded by the past?"

"That guy sure seemed Slade to me," Thea noted. "The old Slade."

"If he was the old Slade, we'd be dead," Oliver snapped. "Besides, that move I used? There's no way Slade would ever have fallen for it."

"How do you know?" John snapped.

"Because he's the one who taught it to me."

"Oliver's right." Everyone looked to where Felicity was tapping the screens. "I may not have been able to talk to you guys but I still got video feed." She brought up the images of the figure they'd fought. "I guess you guys couldn't realize it in the dark and the action but the guy who attacked you? He's at least six foot five."

Oliver brightened. "Slade is 5'11."

Felicity nodded. "Also, got the recording off your comlinks and that accent threw me. Compared it to our records and the voice pattern is totally not Slade's."

Thea frowned. "So it's an imposter? But he's got the outfit and weapons."

Oliver was looking at the feed image. "The armor is different though…But at least we know it's not him."

"Glad to hear it," a familiar voice cut through the air. Everyone spun around to see Slade Wilson stepping into the room. He wore a long coat over his suit, his sole eye taking them all in. "Good to see you again, kid."

"Slade," Oliver returned.

"Sorry, was holding back to listen. Happy to hear you already knew it wasn't me. I wasn't looking forward to some misunderstanding fight."

"You know who this guy is?" Thea asked.

Slade shook his head. "Nope. About a week back, I was in Bogota when some guy comes after me, ranting I killed his brother. I figured it was from my past only to have him say it was days earlier and I haven't been to South America in over a year. I called on some old contacts and heard someone's been using the suit and name for a bit to get some contracts."

"Maybe he's trying to frame you," Curtis suggested.

Slade snorted. "With all I've done in my life? Trust me, you don't need to frame me. Way I figure, some punk decided that rather than make a rep on his own, he'd just use mine."

"Sounds right." Olive paused. "Unless…"

"What?" Thea asked.

Oliver looked to her. "After the whole battle on the other Earth, I talked to that Batman guy. He mentioned that on his Earth, there's a Deathstroke as well."

"Wait, another Earth?" Slade asked.

"Very complex story," Curtis said with a sigh.

"Another Slade?" Roy blurted. "Like one wasn't bad enough?"

Oliver nodded. "Yep. And just to add to it, he also said he has his own Ra's al Ghul as well."

"Note to self, strike Earth-51 off my list of vacation spots in the future," Felicity intoned.

Dinah seemed unsure. "Wouldn't this guy look like our Slade?"

"Not necessarily," Oliver told her. "Their Flash was called Barry Allen but looked nothing like ours. Don't ask me to explain it but it's how it is."

Slade was frowning. "You're thinking some other Earth version of me is in town? Why?"

"Not sure," Oliver admitted. "But we need to find out fast before he starts racking up a body count."

"Right." Slade moved over. "First thing's first though, you all better get out of those suits and give them a serious look over."

"Why?" John demanded.

"To see how many bugs or trackers he put in them." Slade shrugged at their looks. "It's what I'd do."

* * *

"Welp, as often, Slade was dead on," Felicity stated half an hour later. The group was with her, the team changed into civilian clothing and watching Felicity go over some computer scans. "There's a unique dust on the suits, like some sort of tiny nanintes."

Curtis looked with her. "Wow….It's tracking and listening in, so tiny we would never have found it without a hard look."

"I question my earlier striking of an Earth-51 visit. The tech to develop this…"

John was entering, shutting off his cell phone. "Just talked to Lyla. It turns out Argus has been onto this new Deathstroke for a while. They figured it wasn't really Slade." He gave the man a look. "Course, they considered the idea you trained someone else." Slade just nodded as if that made sense as John continued. "So, good news is you don't have to worry about them coming after you."

"And the bad news?" Thea asked.

John sighed. "They've sent an operative to Star City. She was supposed to keep a low profile to hunt this other Deathstroke but now, Lyla wants her to work with us."

"She?" Oliver asked. He saw John's look. "John…who is it?"

A beeping sound echoed and everyone turned to a monitor showing the security camera outside the Lair. They all took in the figure looking up and giving a mocking wave and smile at the camera. "Oh, please, tell me that's not who I think it is," Roy groaned.

Felicity winced herself as she looked to Oliver. "Should I?" He seemed to wrestle with the idea before nodding. Felicity hit a switch to activate the door. Moments later, a beautiful young woman with lush black hair entered. Her purple coat was over a matching suit and her lips pulled into a smirk as she looked the team over before settling her gaze on Oliver. "Ollie. Been a while."

Oliver crossed his arms as he looked over at Helena Bertinelli. "What are you doing here, Helena?"

"By which," Thea broke in. "He means why aren't you locked up in jail?"

Helena shrugged. "Cut a deal with Michaels. I do a few jobs for her, get time off for good behavior."

John snorted. "After all you've done?"

Helena smirked. "I've gotten some briefings on you guys in the last few years and really not sure you can cast stones at me." The smirk faded. "Besides, let's just say….been through some changes lately and felt this was right."

She looked over to Slade. "So you're the original Deathstroke, huh? Guy who taught Ollie who taught me. Guess that makes me something of a granddaughter."

Felicity couldn't help but snort at that which earned her a glare from Slade. "Fine," Oliver stated. "You work with us but you step out of line…"

"And you tie me up?" Helena smirked. "Maybe I'll like it." She winked as the newbies on the team exchanged unsure looks.

Slade just had to shake his head. "You always could pick 'em, kid…"

Oliver sighed as he sat back in his chair next to Felicity. She was going over the maps of the city. "Anything yet?'

"No sightings," Felicity said. "But if he's anything like our Slade, that shouldn't be a surprise. I tried to get to Cisco to talk about some way to scan for someone from another Earth but Barry said he and Caitlin are in Freeland, too busy to help right now."

"The old-fashioned way then. What about this other Deathstroke?'

"That's even trickier," Felicity stated. "Whoever it is, he's damn smart. Ran dates with Slade so it looks like they've been in the same areas at the same time."

"Using Slade as a cover," Oliver noted.

"Yep. But aside from that, it's harder, too many rumors and not enough fact. Plus, the old idea of some stories nothing but a cover for him. Got a hit in Istanbul but nothing else. Looks like being sneaky is true for any Slade."

Oliver took that in before looking to Felicity. "About Helena…"

Felicity smiled. "Relax, I'm not going to act all jealous. I know you two are in the past." She paused. "I do think you should talk to her though. Something about her…She seems different."

"You got that too, huh?" Oliver nodded. "She does seem less intense than last time."

"Maybe she finally got some closure after her dad," Felicity suggested. She looked to Oliver. "Oliver, I know you still blame yourself but come on. You didn't create the Huntress, it was already inside her. She made her own mistakes. If she's trying to change from them, maybe we should be encouraging that, not judging her." She smiled. "Trust me, I made way too many mistakes with that part."

Oliver gave her a hug as he walked off. Felicity saw Slade watching her closely. "That no judging include me too?"

To his surprise, Felicity nodded. "It was hard but I accept what happened was more the mirakuru than you. Believe me, I've got a lot of stuff on my plate I regret." She looked off. "Were you…um…dusted?"

Slade shook his head. "Nope. I know, all that time doing what I've done yet I somehow managed to be spared."

"Well, it was an eye-opener," Felicity stated. "Made me see so many of my past actions and realize what a rampaging bitch I've been so often." She tapped a few keys. "Not sure you heard but we took out this guy a couple weeks back, Diaz. He'd been playing up a bunch of games and Oliver had been holding back because I told him heroes don't kill." She shook her head. "I just got that into my head so much and…"

"Just because you're forced to kill doesn't truly make you a killer," Slade stated.

"Bingo." Felicity looked at him. "Chase sold Ollie the line he liked to kill and he seemed to buy it. And part of that was because I was giving him such crap about it. But if he'd been willing to do what it took before…maybe Laurel would be alive. Or his mom." Felicity wiped her face. "I had to make a tough call and thousands of people died. And I never really dealt with it. I just brushed it aside and lived my life on. And that was a bad move."

"I know all about guilt," Slade assured her. "And I also know letting it crush it is not the best thing. It won't bring them back."

Felicity nodded. "But it still added on to me, so bad idea and decisions, undermining Ollie too much. And geez, I'm amazed Iris even talks to me when I basically hijacked her wedding, can't believe I did that." She wiped her face. "The point is, it took dying for me to finally own up to it all. It's why I told Oliver doing what it took to finish off Diaz wasn't some step backward, just saving the city. And he was right to put an arrow in that bastard before he could kill Quentin."

Slade cocked his head. "I always thought there was more to you than there seemed, Ms. Smoak. Sorry, Mrs. Queen."

She lightly smiled. "Same to you, Slade. Glad to know the real you more."

* * *

Oliver found Helena punching a bag in the workout room. "You've upgraded majorly," she spoke up. "A long way from that crappy bunker you once had. And your own team too."

Oliver looked at her carefully. "What happened to you, Helena?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I got Dusted. It wasn't long but it made me see how much I'd wasted my life on nothing but hate and revenge. That it didn't bring back Michael. And it didn't make my heart any better, just worse." She shrugged. "Doing this may not pay money but…maybe it'll help balance the scales a bit."

Oliver nodded at that. "I get that. I do." He looked her over. "Just make sure you follow my lead."

"Still commanding, huh?" Helena winked just as John entered. "Oliver. Felicity has something." Oliver followed them out to the main center where the rest of the team were. Felicity was bringing up a map of the city. "We've got reports now of about a half dozen different crimes going down. Shootout in the Glades, a biker gang brawl on the East Side, attempted robberies…"

"It's him," Slade announced. "He's thinning us out, setting up distractions for each of us."

"Sounds like this guy has military training too," Diggle observed. "Do we play his game?"

"We don't have a choice," Oliver stated. "Too many people can get killed in the crossfire. We split into teams to take on each one."

"I'm with Slade," Helena spoke up. Off their looks she shrugged. "It's my job to find this other Deathstroke. And I'm betting Slade already has an idea where he is."

Oliver looked to Slade. "Do you? This isn't the time to do some solo play."

"You're telling me not to play solo? You have changed, kid."

"Stay in communication and keep your wits about," Oliver said. "This guy is like our Slade…it's going to get nasty."

"Thanks, kid."

* * *

"Why am I with you?" Thea asked. She and Oliver were heading to the area of the main riot. "Roy and I…"

"Can waste time following Slade. Let him handle it, Thea."

She was quiet. "Look, Oliver…I get he on the drugs. Trust me, I know exactly what that's like. But that doesn't mean I've totally forgiven him. I know you're okay with it more but…I don't know if I'll be."

"I know," her brother said. "But he's trying, Thea." He sighed. "I am worried…him and Helena…"

"Who knows, maybe those two will balance each other out." Oliver had to muse she had a point but put it aside as they headed to the area of the two gangs going at it.

* * *

Helena's official suit wasn't much different than her old vigilante garb, albeit a bit more sleek with a better mask. Her crossbow also seemed improved as she followed Slade. He was clad in his usual suit as they made their way through the warehouse district. "What makes you think he'd be here?"

"I used it as my base of operations when I first arrived in Starling City," Slade answered. "Remote but not too much, access to some hidden tech lines, good place to start."

Huntress followed him around. "Last I heard, you were the bad guy."

"Same to you. I read about you when I was studying Oliver. The mob princess who turned on her father."

Helena shrugged. "We all have our dark sides. You and me just took too long a walk on them."

Slade moved into a large warehouse. "And now you work for the government."

"Again, little choice in the matter. And not much else with my skill set."

Slade looked around carefully, noting a large table with a laptop, a row of weapons and what looked like a chemistry set nearby. "This is it."

Huntress held up her crossbow as she slowly circled about. "Where is he?"

Slade looked up. "Watching. Assessing."

"Wonder if there's a me on his world? Still the mob lady?"

"Actually, you're a teacher but still have a blind side."

That voice was all Huntress heard before something slammed hard into her and sent her down in a heap. Slade was whirling in time to see a figure in familiar armor land in front of him. He backed up a step only to freeze at the clicking sound from the board under his feet. "Not bad."

"Three pounds of Symtex. Not sure if you've got here but where I come from, it's enough to blow your leg off if you remove the pressure."

"Electrical breaker?"

"With coding only I know how to undo."

The man reached up and slid off his helmet. His face seemed a bit younger that Slade's but also harder, the patch over the right eye more complex. The hair and beard were thicker and pure white, the lips in a solid line as he looked Slade over. "Kind of like one of those fun house mirrors, isn't it?" he said in a strong American accent.

Slade slowly nodded. "So…You're me."

"Slade Wilson, U.S. Army. Retired."

"U.S.?"

Deathstroke shrugged. "Guess on my world, my ancestors never went to Australia. Frankly, not that caring about the how's or why's. I just want to get the job done."

"Which is?"

Deathstroke snorted. "Unlike so many guys on my world, I don't waste time talking about my plans. Plus, client confidentiality."

"But it has something to do with the kid and his crew, doesn't it? Hired to kill them?"

Deathstroke actually chuckled. "If I wanted that, they'd be pushing up daisies weeks ago. Or at the warehouse. The only reason they're breathing is because I'm being paid double _not_ to kill anyone on this assignment."

"You have abroad."

"Circumstances. I gave my word not to kill them. And it's my bond."

Slade cocked his head. "You really mean that. It's just the money to you?"

"Damn straight." Deathstroke was checking over the items on his table which looked like various vials. "Enough to enjoy a nice vacation before the next job."

"And then the next. And the next." Slade shook his head. "That's what you call living?"

Deathstroke let out a sigh. "Listen, can we just skip the whole attempt to bond? We may have a name, an outfit and a job but…we're not that alike."

Slade was quiet for a moment. "You get enhanced too?"

"Not what you had," Deathstroke stated. "But improved agility, strength, reflexes, brain power and didn't drive me insane. Plus, I don't waste my time on some stupid vendettas."

Slade studied him carefully. "You have a Grant or Joe?"

Deathstroke froze for a moment. "I did," he softly said. "Let's just say…it wasn't pleasant."

Slade took that in. "That's why then. You just throw yourself into the work to ignore what you lost."

Deathstroke looked at him and shook his head. "God, I don't know what's worse. That the me is an Aussie or too weak to recognize his potential."

"I did once. It didn't go very well."

"Because you wasted it." Deathstroke snorted. "Full on riots across the city? Army of super-soldiers? I get you were nuts at the time but still a total waste of time you could have used making more money."

"But it's not just the money, is it? How much of it do you really spend? How much can you?" Slade shook his head. "You're doing this because you don't know how to do anything else. I'm guessing no one with you to help or balance it out. I was like that once and realize now how bad that is."

Deathstroke was putting the vials into a large case and then shutting it. "This has been fun but my job is done. Tell Queen it's best not to follow me. I won't have any qualms when I'm off the clock."

A shuffling sound got his attention as he looked up to see the Huntress sitting up, her crossbow aimed at him. Instead of being alarmed, he just smirked. "Fire it and I dodge and you won't be happy."

Huntress looked at him…then aimed the crossbow down to fire the bolt right at Slade's feet. It pulsed as she smirked. "EMP top, just the thing to defuse an electronic mine."

Slade smiled under his mask and moved. His sword was out and swinging right at Deathstroke. In a flash, he had his own sword up to block the shot and kicked back. He moved to slide his helmet on before pulling a sub-machine gun from his waist. He fired off several rounds to send Slade and Huntress ducking to opposite sides of the room.

Huntress moved to fire off an arrow that Deathstroke dodged. This let Slade rush over, knocking the case off the table. Snarling, Deathstroke moved in, his sword smashing with Slade's as the two dueled it out. They were soon going at it hard, each sensing what the other was about to do before it happened. Helena found herself thrown to see them almost mirror images in moves despite the difference in size and build. One attacked, the other countered, back and forth with neither having a clear advantage first.

However, it was clear this Deathstroke was a lot stronger and using it to drive his opponent back. Slade was forced to concentrate on the fight, dodging the man's moves. He saw Deathstroke making a feint and then a stabbing move that Slade blocked. "Huh. You have a Ducard too."

"Yep. Guy was a prick."

"Still the LP collection?"

"Oh, totally. It's like, come on, it's the '90s, get into CDs already!" The two continued to duel it out as they moved around, Helena unable to get a clear shot. Slade grunted as Deathstroke kicked him in the chest to send him back, realizing how seriously strong the man was. He managed to duck a shot to slash the other man across the lower thigh. He grunted before backing up to toss another star that Slade dodged. He then snarled again as he felt an arrow plunge into his upper right shoulder. He broke it off as he threw a star that Helena just managed to dodge.

Deathstroke went back to fighting with Slade. "Just give it up," he snarled. "I'm stronger, smarter and faster. Even at your best, you wouldn't have a chance."

"This how you complete contracts on your world? Bore your opponents?"

"I'm usually not a talker but rare I get to meet myself."

"So you're just a solo act on your world," Slade said with a smirk. "Guess that is a difference between us."

The glass of the window shattered in as Green Arrow moved in with Speedy with him. Oliver was already firing off an arrow which Deathstroke blocked with his staff. "Bluff for time while letting them track you down," he mused. "Dammit, can't believe I fell for that again."

"Oldie but a goodie," Speedy remarked as she fired an arrow off. Deathstroke spun to avoid it before leaping out, on her faster than she expected to blast her with a punch. He moved to block Oliver's punch and kick him back. "I'm actually not minding you, kid," he intoned as he swung his sword with Oliver blocking it. "At least this version of you isn't cracking stupid jokes and going on liberal rants."

Oliver decided he didn't want to know more as he tried to get room to fire an arrow off. However, Deathstroke sensed it and kicked him hard, sending him back toward Helena. She managed to hold him before letting him take her arms. Nodding, Helena allowed Oliver to toss her over to kick at Deathstroke. He rolled with it but that left him open to another blow from Slade. He grunted as he blocked and the duo continued to duel once more. "Kid, the case!" Slade called out.

Speedy was moving to grab it only to scream out as an electrical shock echoed from the handle to send her down. That distracted Oliver enough for Deathstroke to smash his staff hard against his head to send him down. In a lightning fast move, he grabbed an arrow off of Oliver's quiver and buried it hard into his side. Oliver grunted as Deathstroke knocked him back.

He moved to pick up the case, looking at the shaken Thea. "It's coded to my handprint under the glove," he intoned. He saw Helena rising up, crossbow in hand and with a sigh hurled a dagger off of his belt, sending it plunging into her left shoulder.

Slade was moving to Oliver and glaring at his doppelganger. "Thought you weren't going to kill anyone."

"And I haven't," Deathstroke returned. "Get him help fast and the wound isn't fatal. Or waste time going after me." He cocked his head at Slade. "And that's the difference between you and me, Slade. I'd never compromise my contract for anyone else."

"That you think that makes you better says it all," Slade snarled. He could almost see the smirk under Deathstroke's mask before the man reached to his belt. He activated a device that opened up a portal behind him, crackling with energy. "Nice to meet you Slade. Thanks for making me see I'm better off on my world." He entered the portal which then vanished.

Slade cursed as he held up Oliver while Helena aided Thea. "Is it weird to say I hate myself right now?"

"Finally know how we all feel," Thea couldn't help but state.

* * *

Oliver sighed as he sank onto the couch. He still held his side with Felicity sitting with him. Helena was nearby, a sling on her arm. Slade had his arms crossed. "I'm okay. I've had a lot worse."

"I remember," Felicity stated. "Just be careful, the stitches are still raw."

Quinten was with them, nodding. "As Deputy Mayor, I am officially putting you on sick leave until you recover from your unexpected surgery."

"Please tell me you're not putting out a story of kidney stones." Quinten just smirked.

"Just what was he after?" Thea asked.

"I'm going to find out," Slade vowed. "He may be different but I have an idea how he thinks so I can backtrack his trail. We figure out where he was, he find out his objective."

"Good," Oliver said. "Because I don't like how some mercenary got the tech that should only have been for the Justice League to get here."

"I'll find out," Slade promised.

"Not alone you're not," Helena intoned. Off of Slade's look she shrugged. "It's still my job so helping you track this down is what I need." She smiled. "Sides, someone has to keep you out of trouble."

"Oh, brother," Felicity couldn't help muttering.

Slade nodded to Oliver as they shook hands. "I'll let you know what I find out."

"Slade," Oliver said. "That other you…wasn't you. I can tell that."

"So can I," Thea said. "Don't start second-guessing yourself."

"I never do," Slade said with a smile. "Good to have your back again, kid. I'll let you know what we find." He gave a nod to the rest before leaving with Helena behind him.

"Those two on a road trip together. There's an entire whacky action comedy to be made out of that," Felicity noted.

Oliver rubbed at his face. "I hate this. This guy comes in, kicks our asses and we don't know why."

"File it under worries for another day." Felicity rubbed his shoulder. "You have the bigger problem of explaining to your son why you're taking a day off without him guessing the truth."

"I think I'd rather face both Slades again."

Thea giggled. "I swear, I can hear Mom and Dad laughing at you like this."

"Thanks for adding to the pain, Speedy."

"Doing my job."

* * *

 **Earth 51**

 **Gotham City**

The docks were quiet as Deathstroke watched the small sedan pull up in front of him. He looked totally relaxed but in reality was ready to strike at the slightest hint of a trap. He saw a figure step out, shuffling forward before speaking in a squeaky voice. "The boss was expecting you back at least a week ago."

"You have any idea how long it took to check that world out?" Deathstroke snapped. "They've got cities we don't, countries we don't and tracking those spots out was a serious pain. Plus, complications which I'm adding to the bill."

The figure fired up the lighter in his hand, showing a seedy face marked with slicked hair and a mustache. Despite the night, he was wearing sunglasses and a terrible tweed suit that looked a size too large on his frame. "You got it?"

Deathstroke pushed the crate over with his foot. "The material plus that dimensional jumper. You?"

The man put his own case down and pushed it across the way. Deathstroke caught it, rising to open it up and take in the piles of hundred-dollar bills filling the case. "I need to count it, Matches?"

"If ya want," the man returned. "Come on, I'm not the sharpest knife but I know better than to be part of double-crossing you or my boss."

Deathstroke shut the case. "Fine. Tell your boss he's got what he wanted."

"Not caring why?"

"I'm not paid to care. That should go for you too, Malone." Deathstroke turned on his heel to slowly walk off. Matches watched him before heading off himself. He got back into the car and started it up. He drove it along the streets of Gotham, reaching up to push the wig off his head as he did. He peeled the mustache off his lip before hitting a button on the console. "I got it. Coming in now."

" _You're sure Mr. Wilson left without a body count_?" a crisp accented voice came through a speaker.

"I'm satisfied he didn't. It's why we had him bugged."

" _Indeed. And he got what you wanted. Despite how I still think it's a bad idea."_

"I'm just being prepared."

" _There's a fine line between preparation and paranoia, sir. This seems to be majorly pushing it."_

"I just have to be sure."

" _That you're right_?"

"No," Bruce Wayne stated as he looked at the vials containing the blood of Thea Queen and the waters and liquids of the Lazarus Pit. "That I'm wrong."

* * *

 **As you can no doubt suspect, this is indeed laying the seeds for something down the line but hope you enjoyed this. All comments welcomed.**


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